38 Director, African American Business Development Group – Merrill Lynch, Bridgewater, N.J.
As director of African American Business Development Group at Merrill Lynch, one of the world’s top financial management and advisory companies, a position he only recently accepted, Dwayne Redmond will take the lead in driving new business growth through targeted campaigns within the African-American community. The African American Business Development Group is part of Merrill Lynch’s Multicultural and Diversified Business Development Group, which is focused on establishing Merrill Lynch as the pre-eminent wealth management firm in diverse and multicultural markets. Redmond also runs the African American Virtual Network, working closely with Merrill Lynch branch offices to provide training for African-American financial advisers.
Redmond, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting and an M.B.A. with a concentration in finance from Suffolk University in Boston, began his career with Merrill Lynch in 2001 as a director in the firm’s retirement group. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, he held various roles at Prudential Retirement Services, New York Life Benefit Services, Mellon Trust and Watson Wyatt.
Redmond takes his mantra ?to whom much is given, much is expected? very seriously. In addition to his professional responsibilities, he is a member of Jack and Jill of America Inc. Central N.J. Chapter, as well as a member of New Jersey Dads. He is also very involved in the lives of his daughters, ages 7 and 4, and his 15-year-old nephew, who lives with Redmond and his family. If he had the time and finances, Redmond would spend time on another thing to which he is committed: educating African-American children about the power of self-sufficiency and the value of higher education and financial literacy.
Redmond hails his family as the success behind his own success. His father is a successful entrepreneur who does not accept the ?status quo?; his mother always believed in him and continues to impress upon him that he can do anything he puts his mind and heart into; and his wife pushes him to greater heights, refusing to allow him to settle for mediocrity.